Teach Art to Little Kids
An elementary art teacher shares a favorite project introducing young students to abstract art through the work of Wassily Kandinsky and the connection between music and color.
My work is two-fold. As an elementary art teacher, my goal is not just to teach children art and art techniques but to also enhance their enthusiasm for art and individual confidence as they create original works of art. In planning my art lessons, I outline the basic components of the lesson: the goal, materials, procedure, and time frame.
One of my favorite art projects can be taught to students of all ages. The goal is to teach the students about abstract art by introducing them to the works by Russian painter Wassily Kandinsky.
In this project, I collaborated with our school’s music teacher. The students listened to the book The Noisy Paintbox: The Colors and Sounds of Kandinsky’s Abstract Art by Barb Rosenstock. By observing many examples of Kandinsky’s artwork, they learned that the artist saw music as colors, serving as an inspiration for his paintings. In class, our students closed their eyes while listening to jazz and classical music. We then discussed what we saw in our minds and how it made us feel. Using watercolors, markers, and oil pastels, the students then painted those feelings and visions with lines, shapes, and patterns. The results were fantastic—the project was a success. The students were excited and proud of their artwork, full of vibrant colors and whimsical designs.
It is a joy to be an art teacher and to share my love of art with my students. It is equally rewarding to watch them grow as talented and inspiring young artists!
Christen Conger is an art teacher at Wilson Arts Integration Elementary in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.